Just 97,000 Ballots Cast Early in Houston Runoff Elections

Early voting in Houston's mayoral race ends Tuesday, and if the numbers hold up, only a fraction of eligible voters will actually cast a ballot for who runs the nation's fourth largest city over the next four years.

Through Monday, the Harris County Clerk's Office reports just under 97,000 ballots have been casting in Saturday's runoff.

While many believe low turnout favors the incumbent, political strategist Jacquie Baly says that's not always the case.

“They think in the general, if a person has a large percentage he's a shoe in, which is what a lot of pundits are thinking about Sylvester Turner,” she says. “But it's a reset of the whole thing and depends on which campaign can actually get their base and their voters out.”

Looking at the numbers by each polling location, Baly believes Buzbee has a legitimate shot.

“Areas like Kingwood. You see areas like Freeman Branch Library, which are going to be predominately in Tony Buzbee's favor, those numbers are huge.”

And Mayor Turner was dealt a huge blow when a judge removed the race for City Council District B from the ballot due to legal challenges over a candidate's criminal record.

“The fact that district B is now not on the ballot, you have less African-Americans going to the polls,” says Baly. “That District B was solely going to be Sylvester Turner, so that's going to hurt him.”


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